Jessica Sanchez Blows ‘American Idol’ Judges Away With Etta James + ‘Dream Girls’ Covers
The girl who has wanted to be on ‘American Idol’ since she was 5 years old and putting on little performances for her parents has made it to the final four. Jessica Sanchez has got the judges on her side, but does she have the fans? She proved she can be a star with her voice, now she needs the votes.
During the first round, Sanchez really showed off her blues and soul chops with Etta James’ ‘Steal Away.’ She outdid herself, and maybe the other hopefuls, in the second round when she let it all out with ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ by Jennifer Holliday. She has officially made it a tough competition.
She won the judges yet again with her strong first round performance. After seeing her intro video, Jennifer Lopez said, “I’m glad to see the growl was there from the beginning. And it was in full effect tonight.” She went on to assure Sanchez that among the currently popular female vocalists who would be her contemporaries, she is “one of the best.”
Randy Jackson loved that she is 16 years old and can sing the blues like someone three times her age. He told her, “Your vocals are ridiculous,” and then told the world she could sing the phone book. Steven Tyler kept it simple with, “You just nailed that.” He said her performance showed the other side of her voice and that she’s shaking off the old Jessica and changing.
Sanchez’ second performance had the judges on their feet and speechless as she belted out the ‘Dream Girls’ track. She would’ve made the 21st century Effie and former ‘Idol’ contestant Jennifer Hudson proud! Tyler congratulated her on another “over-the-top performance.” Lopez said, “There’s nothing to say.” She told Sanchez that it’s going to be a real race to the finish and that the song was a real moment. Jackson said, “You are phenomenal. Another great performance.”
We’ll have to see if the fans will love her, like her song said. She’s got the judges convinced she’s ready to take it all. If her second round performance showed us anything, it’s that she’s not going anywhere any time soon. We are going to love her.
Watch Jessica Sanchez Perform ‘Steal Away’
Watch Jessica Sanchez Perform ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’